Jetta TDI?

I am looking for a car to drive 100 miles a day, 600 miles a week all highway. Looking for reliable and good on gas. I was told the Jetta TDI is something worth lookin into. Are these care reliable? What are some common problems? What years should I be lookin into? I really do not want to spend over $10k

Thanks

I have heard less complaints about the tdi model than others. Just make sure you live near a gas station that sells diesel.

i just purchased a 2003 jetta tdi 3 days a go. the milage ratings are posted as 36/41 mpg. but ive been told by all that have had one that its usuyally much higher if you can keep your foot outa the turbo, as they are actually pretty peppy and light feeling and thus VERY FUN TO DRIVE.

the peak torque is 180LBS at only 1900 rpms, so the sooner i shift( 5 speed) into the next gear, the less fuel i use. also the peak hp is at 3400 rpms. it doesnt drive like a diesel, its quiet, and it doesnt stin like a dump truck. heck, with the a/c on you cant even tell its a diesel.

i can cruise around town at 50 mph and only be turning 1700 rpms. thats awsome, and its only in 4th gear, that doesnt even count 5th gear, wich lowers my rpms even more, down to like 1400 or so-ish.

i absolutely love it. we traded in our 2005 F150 4x4 supercab with th 4.6l v8, wich around town got about 12 mpg. we were spending about 75 dollars a week on gas for that thing, since it went through a complete 26 gallon tank avery 6 days. the jetta has a 14.5 gallong tank, wich will last us nearly twice as long.

ive spoken to a few tdi owners, and with just a few small tweeks you can get over 55 mpg !

got diesel?

phatmanmike,

You said your TDI is quiet... how quiet? I've only heard two TDIs so far and they both sounded pretty loud in comparison to my GMC Jimmy, especially when stopped. While I was moving they weren't noticeably louder at all but while I was stopped they made noises that I'm just not used to hearing with any other car. Given that I've never driven diesels before I know I shouldn't be comparing the two, but I'm just not comfortable with things I don't know. Are diesels just generally louder and there's no way to get away from that? Or were the two vehicles I was trying just in poor mechanical condition? They were both pushing around 100k miles.

how quiet is it? well with the windows up and ac on, youd never know its a diesel.

its got 54K miles on it. we also test drove a new 2006 with 19 miles and couldnt tell any noticeable difference, at least not a 10 thousand dollar difference.

i thought diesels were like dumptrucks too, just as you may think, since my last diesel was a 1995 e-350 1 ton ford van with the 7.3L power stroke.

lemme tell you.... two completely opposites.

all i can say, is go to your nearest dealer and test drive a vw diesel. youll buy one too!

That's my problem though... I live in California, where they don't allow the sale of new diesels anymore... I guess I'll look around for lower mileage diesels and see if they sound any better...

By the way, the two that I tried were VW TDIs. One was a Jetta, the other was a Beetle.

I have encountered experiences with diesels. I personally own a VR6 monster (lol). These are good engines, not so high HP's but the torque is awesome.
It is also said that the good limit to use a turbo diesel engine is 100k miles. This is not a magic number but is the life expectancy of the turbo. Repair costs in a diesel engine often eats back the money you have saved on fuel.

So, my advise? If you want a dependable an reliable engine buy a new TDI use it for 5 years or less than 100k miles and sell it before it gets troubles, you will have the economy of a geo metro, and the torque of my vr6 with the horsepower of a regular 2.0 gas jetta.

seriously man, have you ever owned a newer diesel?

ive owned many big trucks like fords van and pickups and a dodge with the cummins. i have also worked with mahy large turbo trucks at our shop.

you couldnt be more wrong.

turbo diesels last much much more longer than you are thinking.

ive seen turbo dielsel engines in boats that have 5000 hours or more of use

if you can get a tURbo diesel to give you 300K miles, then you get your money worth.

my E350 ford van (turbo) had 320K miles when i sold it. everybody that drove it with me commented on just how powefull this thing was. very fast for a 10000 pound van !

go check out some ads on autotrader.com and just serach for diesels and look how much miles these things have!

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=198343733&dealer_id=54341233&car_year=2000&mod_bookmark_id=null&search_type=both&make=any&distance=0&transmission=&address=33770&advanced=y&certified=&max_mileage=&bkms=1148952284495&max_price=&sort_type=mileageDESC&min_price=&end_year=2004&color=&start_year=1981&drive=&isp=y&engine=&lang=en&fuel=Diesel&doors=&cardist=754

You may be right. But remember that you are talking about heavy duty engines, engines that are engineered for hard work. I like diesels but I think this is something that you can't avoid, diesel engines for autombiles and light trucks are not so long lasting as the others, they run at higher rpm's, turbos run four times faster than the crankshaft. And I think I have a good argument to think this, where is all this power in new diesels coming from??? BMW as an example 320d with almost the same hp and more torque (of course) than a 320i, using a fuel that obviosly has less energy!!! Please don't take it on the bad side but I think that only the time will tell us how long this engines will last. Since then I will strongly consider the 100k miles limit for a troubleless use in a diesel car.

you just cant convince some people. they have their mind made up .... my jetta never goes above 3500 rpms. my peak torque is 180f/lbs at 1900 rpms. i usually shift around 2400 or so. its the torque that these motors make is what makes them go so easily, with such, as you put it, "less powerfull fuel"

answer me this....why is it that an 80,000 pound 18 wheeler with a 400hp inline 6 turbo diesel can get the same gas mileage as a 2001 ford expedition with a gas V8 if the 18wheeler uses this less powerfull fuel?

wether i drive a 10000 pound e350 turbo diesel van full of tools and parts, (which got 22 mpg by the way,) or i drive a 3700 pound 2003 jetta wich gets a hair over 40 mpg in the city, its the same technology. it doesnt matter how fast the turbo spins, its only putting out 7 or 8 psi..... thats nothing......

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=180735481&dealer_id=56166492&car_year=1986&mod_bookmark_id=null&search_type=both&make=any&distance=0&transmission=&address=33770&advanced=y&certified=&max_mileage=&bkms=1149044438374&max_price=&sort_type=mileageDESC&min_price=&end_year=1998&color=&start_year=1981&drive=&isp=y&engine=&body_style=CONVERT&body_style=COUPE&body_style=HATCH&body_style=SEDAN&body_style=WAGON&lang=en&fuel=Diesel&doors=&cardist=2057

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=198863760&dealer_id=57649442&car_year=1986&mod_bookmark_id=null&search_type=both&make=any&distance=0&transmission=&address=33770&advanced=y&certified=&max_mileage=&bkms=1149044438374&max_price=&sort_type=mileageDESC&min_price=&end_year=1998&color=&start_year=1981&drive=&isp=y&engine=&body_style=CONVERT&body_style=COUPE&body_style=HATCH&body_style=SEDAN&body_style=WAGON&lang=en&fuel=Diesel&doors=&cardist=865

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=201697320&dealer_id=86200&car_year=1987&mod_bookmark_id=null&search_type=both&make=any&distance=0&transmission=&address=33770&advanced=y&certified=&max_mileage=&bkms=1149044438374&max_price=&sort_type=mileageDESC&min_price=&end_year=1998&color=&start_year=1981&drive=&isp=y&engine=&body_style=CONVERT&body_style=COUPE&body_style=HATCH&body_style=SEDAN&body_style=WAGON&lang=en&fuel=Diesel&doors=&cardist=895

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=202312074&dealer_id=57543712&car_year=1998&bkms=1149044438374&lang=en&isp=y&start_year=1981&mod_bookmark_id=null&engine=&certified=&fuel=Diesel&search_type=both&distance=0&first_record=251&make=any&color=&min_price=&body_style=CONVERT&body_style=COUPE&body_style=HATCH&body_style=SEDAN&body_style=WAGON&drive=&max_mileage=&sort_type=make_modelASC&address=33770&advanced=y&end_year=1998&pager.offset=250&doors=&transmission=&max_price=&cardist=1115


read this.... it was written BEFORE the race had taken place, but they have since WON FIORST PLACE with this " less powerfull fuel " http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/14/Autos/funonwheels/audi_diesel_racer/


and read this..... http://auto.howstuffworks.com/diesel.htm

and of course, do a google search for" most powerfull engine in the world" and you get this.. http://www.bath.ac.uk/~ccsshb/12cyl/

Don't take it personal, you are a diesel lover and I'm nuts about gasoline. To me there is nothing better than a high octane gasoline, a turbo and NOS injection to put 500 hp in my vr6. This is power. I understand your point and I'm not telling you that diesels are not good engines, if they weren't good enough don't you think that they were out of order decades ago??? You are right about 18 wheelers but remember fuel consumption is related to how much you step on the gas pedal. "Diesel engines lose much of their fuel economy advantage when running at full speed, however, as they are much of the time during a race." This sentence was taken literally from the article describing the audi R10.

7 or 8 psi. not much? maybe, but is enough to make this engines breath ok, what is the essential ingredient to make combustion? I believe is oxigen, and this 7 or 8 psi are essential to fill the combustion chamber of a diesel engine with more air and of course oxigen to make a better combustion. turbos doesn't make your car flight like the tv told us in KNIGHT RIDER (Do you remember that tv show?) they only force the filling of our chambers to get more power from them. You can not get more than 100hp per liter on a four cilinder diesel engine but for sure you could get a better torque. than any gasoline with the same number of cilinders and cc.

"You have to own and operate a diesel engine for a fairly long time before the fuel economy overcomes the increased purchase price of the engine. The equation works great in a big diesel tractor-trailer rig that is running 400 miles every day, but it is not nearly so beneficial in a passenger car." Other nice quote from your article.

So please, I'm telling you one more time. Don't take it personal. I really don't like diesels I lived in europe a while ago and had to use them because of the high prices of gasoline I used to have there a 1999 Renault Espace 1.9 TDi, nice for everyday commuting, and I was able to get 196 km/h (about 120 mph) from this engine (It was brand new) but as soon as I get back to my country I gave a big hug to my jetta vr6. BTW i drove 96000 kms on that renault (60k miles) and the engine was ok.

Maybe the reason why i don't like diesel is that i like too much the horses, not that i don't like a good torque but i like fast cars. I have had diesels, my first car was a rabbit diesel, slow, smoky, but really economic in fuel terms. Then i had a mitsubishi turbo diesel truck. Nice, torque was awesome, (toyotas 22R were left far far away) was fast, no smoke, i could tell you that I liked that truck BUT... 140k miles and my daily headache started, Injection problems, pre-heating, cold starting was a pain in the ***, etc. etc. and needed an overhaul including turbo at 150k miles, what happened? Engine abuse? Bad luck? Don't know, but there was where I was told by the people who remanufactured my turbo that this turbos are expected to last around 100k miles because they are faster than turbos in big trucks. This mitsu had a 5k rpm redline. The truck worked like a charm after that but don't ask how much money was that, It may have been cheaper to buy another used truck. So I told myself never to buy an used diesel. I bought the new renault and I didn't have a single trouble, and maybe I would buy a new diesel (I like a lot the BMW 330d but like more the 330i) but following my policies.

I have to give you one credit. You proved to me that diesel fuel has more energy per gallon than gasoline. Good shot buddy didn't know that. But you can't get all this energy from diesel fuel, it doesn't ignites so fast, does it?, why can't you have 10k rpm engines from diesel fuel???? They are just pure torque, what is nice for a freight truck don't you think.

So thanks man, you learn something new everyday. But remember I don't like diesels!!!. lol.

the reason you cant have 10k rpm diesel engines is that they have 19.5:1 compression ratios and really long stroke to bore ratios. i never said gas was bad, but diesel is just way more economical with the power it makes and that is mostly due to where it makes its power in the rpm band.

if you have a gas motor, lets just say you have 200hp at 4800rpm and 200f/lb at 4200rpm. lets also say that this car weighs 4000 poundsa and is 99% driven in the city, around town, to and from wherevere you need to go. in a normal day, with a normal driver , that car will never reach obove 3k rpm. my mother in laws saturn never gets above 2400. ive driven with her , i have seen this.

if you never use more than say half of the usable hp and usable torque of any given engine, whats the point? its all wasted energy. most gasoline daily driven cars get 15-25% thermal effiency.

if you have a deisel engine that has 130hp at 3200rpm and 240f/lb at 1950 rpm, and this is a daily commuter car, wouldnt you get a much better effienct driving experience? you would actually be able to USE your peak hp and torque values, instead of just wasting energy, youd be using energy.

my last car was a 2005 f150 4x4, it got 12mpg in the city. it made 220hp and 220 f/lb. i dont remember what rpm. i filled it up every 6 days, and it had a 27 gallon tank. i went all the way down till the light came on, and i usually put in about 25 gallons or so.

....NOW.... my 2003 jetta, which was actually 3000 dollars CHEAPER than my truck, has 100hp at 3200 rpm and 180 f/lb at 1900 rpm. it has a 14 gallon tank, which i fill up every 11-12 days. when i fill up, i usally fill it with 11.5 or 12 gallons. i average 40 mpg in the city. i cant wait to measure it in the highway.

i D wish it had the 6 speed option that the GTI has. at 80 mph in 5th gear, its doing about 3000 rpms, and if i could shift once more into 6th gear, and let that sucker drop down to , say 2400 rpms, highway milage would be sofa king cool!

I understand where you are both coming from. I know that the Cummins diesels are extremely reliable kinda not applicable but hey, you know... And, VWs are known for their longevity and reliability anyway. I have some friends here that have gotten over 200,000 on their odometers and still run good with the diesel engines from VW. Diesels are more expensive to rebuild, but they commonly last longer and are more efficient. Plus, you can chip a diesel and increase MPGs and power at the same time. I am not a diesel afficiondo, far from it, as I've seen what crap the early GM and Ford diesel engines were. They're the biggest waste of iron that has ever been made. Totally unreliable. I think that's why most americans are afraid of it is because our 2 biggest manufacturers screwed us over with their bad engines at first. Now though, everybody has improved reliability greatly. On a side note, does Chrysler have a diesel powered anything in the US now? (besides the CRD and pickups?)

chrysler is supoosed to be releasinga small v6 diesel powered jeep liberty and also a diesel cherokee. thats what i heard

I would go for it! Only warning: make sure you get a VW dealer to do their priemer inspection first! This may cost $300-400, but is worth it in the end if you find regular mainenance hasn't been done. The repair bills for these things can go into the $thousands, especially if the timing belt hasn't been changed recently over 50K miles. If that thing goes, your engine is toast!

Also, my 2 cents needs to add that 100K miles on ANY vehicle can spell disaster if it hasn't been cared for and driven well. Although VWs are awesome, they are not exempt from crude drivers. Good luck with your venture.

Let's not forget to mention the RANGE of a TDI. The OP is willing to spend up to $10k, which means they are buying a MkIV (99.5-04 model year). I say stick with the mechanical pump engine(99.5-03), as it gets better mileage than the PD(04 and newer). The Jetta has a 14.5gal tank, but you can put in over 16gal. Diesels don't have a vapor recovery system, so need to worry about damaging anything by overfilling. If you keep the speed under 75mph, you should get pretty darn close to 800 miles. My best was 842.

If you're driving 600mi/wk, the TDI seems like a no-brainer. Just make sure the car was well maintained, and you will love it.

Also, with that much driving, you really do want something that is comfortable and won't have a worn out interior. Nothing sucks more than spending a few hours a day in a car with seats that are shot. With VW, you shouldn't have to worry about that. I'm at 75k miles on my Golf and it still feels like new.

I've had a handful of minor issues with my TDI, but nothing that ever prevented me from driving, and nothing I couldn't handle on my own(and I am not mechanically experienced, and have few tools). I don't think I will ever get rid of this car. It makes me WISH I had a 100mi commute!